Despite appearances as portrayed by our media, Stephen Harper has not loosened his micro-management style. In fact, it now aligns with tactics studied and adopted by the Republican Party in the good 'ole U S of A. That's no coincidence given that Canada's own brand of neocons have studied at the feet of the same master.
Among the items of note in the first-week report card (blatantly lifted from the Liberal media release):
- Number of Harper campaign events that have been open to members of the public: 0
- Number of times Jason Kenney has been seen in public since the puffin incident: 0
- Total savings a Canadian family could receive from Harper’s two-cent-per-litre diesel tax cut if it fully “trickles down” to consumers and is not absorbed by suppliers or transporters: $15 annually or about 25 cents per week.
- Number of Conservative campaign events that used unwitting new and expectant mothers as human props: 1
- Number of apologies Harper has had to issue for gaffes by his staff: 2
- Number of times the RCMP has been used to physically shield Harper from questions: 1
- Number of party leaders Mr. Harper has tried to exclude from the leader’s debate: 1
And I would add:
Number of times Harper has prevented or quietly released, usually late on a Friday, reports uncomplimentary to his government's activities: Countless.
But here is a start:
- Carbon tax not harmful to economy
- Chief Public Health Officer emphasizes need for action on social determinants of health
- Sixteen lakes slated to be mine dumps
- Agreement to allow US troop deployment in Canada (the Liberals are no less guilty in this matter: "While a formal agreement was reached in February 2008, the decision to allow the deployment of US troops in Canada was announced in April 2002 by (former) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld."
- Signing of a "cradle to grave" agreement that would see the US sending its nuclear spent fuel to Canada (Hat tip to Une femme verte, whose excellent summary provides more links.)
- Killing of the access to information database
Not to mention Harper's attempts to fool Canadians into thinking he knows how to manage the economy. Apparently, that $19.2 BILLION in pre-election spending (PDF) was designed to stimulate the economy. It wasn't to buy votes! Or was it?
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